Marriage and the Family

• Cultural universal• Variations

– Monogamy– Polygyny, Polyandry– Same-sex– Residential patterns

• Men’s/children’s houses– Kawelka,Trobriands, Indian tribals

• Matrilineal households– e.g., Nayar, Na

• Functions of Marriage– Stable relationships– Regulate sexual reproduction– Raise children– Regulate sexual division of labor

• Often exploits women’s labor– Alliances between groups

• Mate Selection– Rules of exclusion

• Incest taboo– Rules of preference

• Cousin marriage

Suffixes and Prefixes

• -gamy = marriageExo = outsideEndo = insideMono = onePoly = more than one

• -local = residencePatri = with groom’s parentsMatri = with bride’s parentsAvuncu = with uncleNeo = newAmbi/Bi = either

Marriage RulesWhom one can or should marry

• Exogamy – outside– Kin group

• Lineage• Clan

– Village• Endogamy – inside

– Caste– Village– Race– Class– Ethnicity

• Arranged

Arranged Marriage

• Hierarchical corporate descent groups– Lineages– Clans– Castes

Patrilineage

Arranged Marriage

• Hierarchical corporate descent groups– Lineages– Clans– Castes

• Rules– Exogamy– Endogamy

• Alliances• Preservation of:

– purity– status – property

Bilateral Kinship

- No corporate group- Nuclear family- Choice of residence

- Neolocal- Ambilocal

- Focus on individuals

Preferential Cousin Marriage: Cross & Parallel

Preference Rules• Cross cousin

– Mother’s brothers’ children (matrilateral)– Father's sisters’ children (patrilateral)– Yanomamö– Hindus in South India: reinforces alliances between kin groups

• North India: no cousin marriage + village exogamy = wider kin network

• Parallel cousin– Mother’s sisters’ children (matrilateral)– Father’s brothers’ children (patrilateral)– Arab Middle-eastern & North African groups

• Especially patrilateral, e.g., Bedouin• Keeps property in patrilineal family • Resolves contradiction between patrilineal and patrilocal

• Levirate– Widow marries deceased husband’s brother or close male relative

• Sororate– Widower marries deceased wife’s sister or wife’s brother’s daughter

Yąnomamö & South Indians Use Iroquois System

Parallel cousins referred to as brothers and sistersCross-cousins preferred marriage partners

Residence

• Patrilocal/virilocal - 69%• Matrilocal/uxorilocal - 13%• Avunculocal - 4%• Ambilocal/bilocal - 9%• Neolocal - 5%

• Gender asymmetry– Patrilineal patrilocal

• Women at disadvantage– Economic dependence– Difficult to divorce

– Matrilineal matrilocal, avunculocal– Bilateral ambilocal, neolocal

• Women enjoy better status– Closer ties with natal kin – Greater autonomy– Influence– Easier to divorce

» Natal kin support– More resources

» Inheritance

Forms of Marriage(Number of spouses)

• Monogamy• Polygamy

– Polygyny (70% of cultures)• Africa, Middle East, U.S. (Mormons)• Related to

– wealth, privilege, status, power– women’s economic contribution– descent system

• Sororal polygyny– Polyandry (<1% of cultures)

• Nepal, Tibet, India, Marquesas• Demographic

– Toda in India – shortage of women• Economic

– Marquesas: Manpower – Tibet/Nepal: Land scarcity

• Fraternal polyandry

Family Structure• Nuclear

– 2 generations– Neolocal or ambilocal– Mobility– Industrialized and foraging societies

• Extended (46% of societies)– 3 generations– Patrilineal/patrilocal

• Elderly parents• Unmarried daughters and sons• Married sons with their wives and children

– Joint = brothers with wives & children (2 generations)– Matrilineal

• Parents or eldest woman with her brothers & sisters• Unmarried sons and daughters• Married daughters with their children & husbands• Nayar, Na/Mosuo (matrilineal household with no husbands)

• Industrialization/urbanization nuclear families• Definitions of family broadening

– 80% American families non-traditional

• Dadi = Grandmother– also Sas = Mother-in-law

• Dada = Grandfather• Jats = Farmers in Haryana, northern India• Extended family

– Dadi and Dada– 3 Sons, their wives and children

• Meherlal and Darshini (eldest), 3 sons, 1 daughter• Mohinder and Sita, 2 sons, 1 daughter• Rajinder and Kanta (newlyweds)

• Daughters Saroj, Anguri, and 3rd daughter not in film– Live with their husbands’ families in other villages

Dadi’s Family

Kinship Terms• Descent – related by blood

– Patrilineal– Matrilineal – Bilateral– Ambilineal

• Residence – where couple lives– Patrilocal = with husband’s parents– Matrilocal = with bride’s parents– Avunculocal = with uncle– Ambilocal = with either set of parents– Neolocal = new/with neither set of parents

• Family Structure– Nuclear– Extended = 3 generations– Joint = brothers, 2 generations